St. Cloud State’s teacher prep program tops national reading standards

(KNSI) – St. Cloud State University has earned an A+ grade from the National Council on Teacher Quality for how well its program prepares elementary education majors to teach reading.

The grade comes from NCTQ’s newly released Teacher Prep Review: Decoding Progress in Reading Preparation, which evaluates how thoroughly teacher programs cover the five components experts consider essential to research-based reading instruction. They are phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary. St. Cloud State’s program exceeded those standards, according to the report.

To reach its findings, NCTQ said a team of experts analyzed syllabi, lecture schedules, background reading materials, class assessments, assignments, and hands-on instructional practice built into St. Cloud State’s required literacy courses. The methodology was shaped by a panel of reading experts, teacher prep faculty, reading advocates, and measurement specialists.

The recognition comes as reading proficiency remains a pressing concern in Minnesota. According to data, four in ten Minnesota fourth graders cannot read at a basic level, and researchers have increasingly pointed to teacher preparation as one of the earliest and most effective places to intervene.

Read the full report by clicking here.

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